Active Lungs & Breathing Public Health & Healthcare

Synthesising evidence on e-cigarettes two living systematic reviews exploring i) the efficacy and safety of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation, ii) interventions for quitting vaping

Funder CRUK Charity-funded
Recipient organisation University of Oxford
Funding Not disclosed
Period May 2025 — Apr 2027

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

Millions of people who switch from smoking to vaping end up using e-cigarettes for years, and there is currently no clear evidence on how to help them stop. This project will produce two continuously updated systematic reviews—one on how well e-cigarettes work for quitting smoking, and another on what interventions help people quit vaping. The problem is that while e-cigarettes are effective for smoking cessation, critical gaps remain: their long-term health risks are unknown, their effects in key groups are unclear, and guidance on quitting vaping is inconclusive. By searching monthly and updating findings regularly, the team will produce briefing documents, podcasts, and presentations for policymakers, clinicians, and the public. If successful, this work could directly inform clinical practice and public health guidance—helping people who smoke to switch to a less harmful option, while also giving those who want to stop vaping evidence-based strategies to do so. The reviews aim to prevent cancer and reduce health inequalities by ensuring decisions about vaping and smoking are grounded in the best available evidence.

View original technical description
Background Despite high certainty evidence showing the effectiveness of e-cigarettes (vapes) for smoking cessation, critical questions remain about their effects in certain key groups, long-term health risks and how to translate evidence into public and clinician understanding, and into practice. Many people who use e-cigarettes to quit use them long-term; however, there are reasons why people may want to stop using them. Present evidence and guidance on quitting vaping is currently inconclusive. Aim Our aim is to synthesise evidence on using e-cigarettes to quit smoking and quitting their use to inform policy, clinical, and personal decisions, to prevent cancer and tackle health inequalities. Methods We will carry out all activities necessary for the conduct and dissemination of two living systematic reviews (LSR) following Cochrane guidance: i) Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation and ii) Interventions for quitting vaping. This will include monthly searching, regular updates of the reviews, and monthly dissemination activities, including but not limited to briefing documents, podcasts and presentations at various events, including UK Electronic Cigarette Research Forum (ECRF) meetings. What value will the programme of work deliver? By widely disseminating this evidence we aim to inform policy decisions, clinical practice, and the choices of people who smoke and/or vape.

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Researchers

Nicola Lindson (EPMC Awardee)

Related Research

Grants with similar aims, by meaning.

Synthesising evidence on e-cigarettes: two living systematic reviews exploring their efficacy and safety for smoking cessation, and how to stop using them
Secondary analysis of e-cigarette survey data
Electronic cigarettes and use of combustible tobacco products in young people: a Cochrane systematic review
Development and Evaluation of Synthesis Methods for Living Systematic Reviews including an Interactive Platform for Analysis, Updating and Dissemination: An Application to Electronic Cigarettes for Smoking Cessation
E-cigarettes, harm reduction and inequalities: a review of evidence and stakeholder claims

Original classification

PI&C Policy and Implementation Research

Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.